Catching fish with a spear or pointed stick is a technique that has been around for thousands of years, but use of the modern-style spearguns began in the mid-twentieth century. A speargun allows the user to fire a shaft or spear at a fish from either under or above the water. Commonly used types of spearguns include hand-powered spearguns and air-powered or pneumatic spearguns, either of which being used with or without a trigger. Triggerless hand-powered spearguns include the popular “Hawaiian sling,” which operates similar to a bow and arrow.
Hand-powered spearguns, such as the Hawaiian sling, generally include a stock or barrel (depending on whether the speargun is made of wood or metal, although the terms are sometimes interchanged), a spear, and a piece of rubber tubing or rubber band connected to the barrel and engageable with the spear. When the rubber tubing is stretched away from the barrel and released, the resulting force propels the shaft through the barrel and toward a target. Hand-powered spearguns may include a trigger release or the band may be released by hand, similar to an archery bow. Air-powered or pneumatic spearguns, on the other hand, generally include thicker spears than hand-powered spearguns, and the spear is disposed within a sealed internal barrel enclosed in an outer casing that contains air. The air may be pressurized from ambient pressure by hand to adapt to various targets and situations. A trigger is used to discharge the spear, much like an air gun.
Some pneumatic spearguns may be somewhat more powerful than hand-powered spearguns; however, they are also more difficult to operate, especially underwater. The simple design of most hand-powered spearguns makes them attractive to purists and those who are new to the sport. However, some known designs of hand-powered spearguns include a rubber tubing or band that is attached on either side of the proximal end of the barrel, nearest to the user. Further, the band is typically about 24 inches, with about 12 inches on either side of the bend. Although it may be possible for an adult to pull the band to a stretched length of about four feet, this proximal point of band attachment limits the amount of power available for expelling the spear from the barrel.
Other known designs of hand-powered spearguns include a rubber tubing or band that is attached on either side of a distal end of the barrel, farther from the user. In contrast to the proximally attached configuration, the distally attached configuration may allow the user to exert a greater pull force on the band and therefore create more power for expelling the spear. However, even this configuration has its drawbacks. Positioning the point of band attachment at the distal end of the barrel may cause bend in the barrel and/or may cause undesired movement in the stock or barrel as the tensioned band is released, which, in turn, may cause “shaft whip” or an uneven spear trajectory. Still further, the band may be disposed along the outside of the barrel, exposing it to snagging on other gear or equipment. Additionally, the external band may eliminate the user's ability to grasp the barrel while retracting the spear.
Additionally, known designs of hand-powered spearguns involve inefficient or permanent means for attaching the band to the barrel, which frustrate or prevent replacement of the band. For example, many hand-powered spearguns include a band that is attached to the barrel by tightly wrapping string, cord, or line around the band ends and the barrel. Not only is such an attachment means not very secure, but the speargun is usually discarded when the band breaks or begins to disintegrate. Further, other configurations include passing the ends of a tubing-style band through a hole on either side of the barrel. A plastic or metal plug is inserted into the lumen of the rubber tubing that has a larger diameter than the inner diameter of the tubing lumen, which prevents the band from being pulled through the holes when the user exerts a pull force on the band. However, this attachment means is permanent and the old band must be destroyed to install a new one.
Finally, although some known spearguns are configured to accept removably attachable accessories such as a cord reel, no known spearguns are configured to universally accept any of a variety of accessories and to allow for user customization of the placement of those accessories based on the user's preferred grip, hand size, and other personal factors.
It is therefore desired to provide a hand-powered speargun that allows for a greater pull force and, therefore, power in expelling the spear without causing barrel deformation and/or shaft whip. It is further desired to provide a hand-powered speargun that may be easily manufactured and that has a means for quickly and easily removing and replacing the band and for customizing the speargun with accessories, handle placement, reel placement, and other options.